Mystery and Secret Shoppers Beware!

You'd think the crooks would latch onto a new scam since this one is so overdone! They keep mailing fake checks, asking you to cash them, then go shopping, and while you're at it... wire cash to Canada.

I've got another fake check to add to my collection. This one comes courtesy of Judith King of Colorado Springs. I'll let you know when I get enough to make a quilt! We'll put it on display here at KKTV. Judith wanted to warn others not to fall for the Mystery Shopping scam.

A company which claims to be located in Corporate Wood, Missouri (doesn't exist!) asks you to cash its $2,993 check. You're asked to evaluate Western Union or Moneygram by wiring $2,500 of it to Canada. Then you get to spend the rest of it at companies like Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and J.C. Penney. Again, you're asked to evaluate your shopping experience with those stores and you're even given a company evaluation sheet.

But why would a company in Missouri enclose a check from a home remodeler in Damascus, Maryland and then mail it to you from Montreal, Quebec, Canada? Because it's a scam. I read various excerpts online from folks who had done honest-to-goodness secret shopping and they say it doesn't pay very well... either a free meal or about $10.

So the next time you get a letter asking you to do some mysterious shopping... but wire some money first... throw it away. And don't forget to send me the check... my fake check quilt could be quite an item!

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